Becoming the mother of a child with disabilities : a systematic literature review

Abstract:

The transition to motherhood starts early in pregnancy and is
completed when the mother feels competent in caring for the
infant. Becoming the mother of a child with disabilities is demanding
as their needs are complex. The aim of the review was to appraise
completed qualitative and quantitative reports on the challenges
of mothers of children with disabilities regarding their own
transition to motherhood. A review of the literature was carried
out through, first, a computerized search strategy to identify
relevant studies from selected databases and, second, quality
appraisal and thematic analysis of selected studies. The transition
to motherhood of children with disabilities takes place in the
inside world at home, the outside world external to home and the
‘going-between’ world of travelling between the two worlds. The
mothers are challenged at home to integrate basic infant care
with technical care of their children. In the outside world they
often struggled to ensure that their children got the necessary
professional care. Travelling between their homes and healthcare
services posed many problems.